Harvie and Slater elected Green Co-Leaders
Patrick Harvie MSP and Lorna Slater have been elected as the new Co-Leaders of the Scottish Green Party following a month long election process. The result was announced in Edinburgh this afternoon.
The party adopted a new constitution at its spring conference meaning that it would elect leaders for the first time, effectively replacing the co-convenor position within the party.
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be elected along with Lorna as one of the Scottish Greens Co-Leaders. Green voices have never been more important as we face up to the climate emergency. The science is clear - we have just over a decade to transform our economy for the better and avert an existential crisis, but the other parties are happy to carry on with business as usual.
“Greens have been leading the change by fighting for and winning a fairer income tax system, meaning most Scots pay less that their UK counterparts, and those who can afford it pay a bit more, we’ve delivered hundreds of millions for local services across the country and initiated a process to scrap the hated Tory council tax.
“As Co-Leader I’ll continue to lead the fight to transform our economy to put our climate and our communities first.”
Lorna Slater said:
“I’m excited to be elected Co-Leader and look forward to working with Patrick as we head toward our most important election in 2021.
“I look forward to contributing my expertise in marine renewable energy and manufacturing in Scotland to our proposal for a Scottish Green New Deal, ensuring that we take advantage of all the social and economic opportunities that come along with tackling the climate emergency.
“Scotland has significant renewable resources such as wind and tidal energy, we have the manufacturing and offshore infrastructure to become a powerhouse of clean energy generation. We can ensure everyone lives in a warm home which they can afford to heat and invest in reopening rail links and stations as part of a transport vision fit for the 21st century. We already have the skills and resources to transform our economy, tackle the climate emergency and create thousands of quality jobs along the way, and I’ll work to deliver that transformation in the coming years.”